Showing posts with label Otaku sub-culture. Show all posts
Otaku Culture - Know your Dere!
Greetings dear ladytakus and gentleweebs, Kuromi is back with an article requested by an avid reader. That's right, folks. Today we're gonna take a look on all the different types of dere in the anime and manga world.
A dere is a type or personality characterisation of a character within a manga or an anime series.
So without further ado, let's take a look on the list of some of the most used dere in anime and manga.
1. Tsundere
First off the list is one of the most famous dere among all, the tsundere. A tsundere is a character which is hard and irritable (tsun tsun) but became soft and lovely (dere dere) as the story progress, which usually happened around their person of love interests. Well in other words, they are the bipolars of the anime and manga world. A tsundere can be categorised into two distinctive categories known as Tsundere type A (Harsh Tsundere) and Tsundere Type B (Sweet Tsundere).
Tsundere type A or Harsh Tsundere is the more famous as most series used this type of tsundere in their stories. With a recognisable traits and behaviour patterns to boot, this type became the very icon of tsundere. A harsh tsundere is a character with their harsh (tsun tsun) attitude as their default behaviour. Later, they began to turn into a much softer character (dere dere), which usually have their love interest as the main factor for such developments. Even though their in their dere dere stage, they still show signs of their irritations from their previous tsun tsun personality. However, this is usually because of the characters' still trying to appear strong or proud.
There are tons of examples of characters of this type. Famous female characters such as Aisaka Taiga (Toradora!), Asuka Langley (Neon Genesis Evangelion), Vegeta (Dragonball Z), Syaoran (Cardcaptor Sakura) and the list goes on.
There are tons of examples of characters of this type. Famous female characters such as Aisaka Taiga (Toradora!), Asuka Langley (Neon Genesis Evangelion), Vegeta (Dragonball Z), Syaoran (Cardcaptor Sakura) and the list goes on.
They often speak with reluctance and denying their true intentions because of their tough personality and pride, especially towards their love interest. In other words, it's a little something like this:
Tsundere type B or Sweet Tsundere is more of the rarer bunch. They have their dere dere side as their default behaviour or personality. They are sweet and soft most of the times, if not, all the time. They are soft to everyone BUT the person of their love interest. However, being the sweet person they are, their harsh or violent side only appeared when certain triggers were pushed.
A good example for this kind of tsundere is Kagome from Inuyasha.
2. Yandere
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| Gasai Yuno from Mirai Nikki. The very icon of yandere characters |
Boyfriend: "Honey, I think it's not working between us. I love my coworker more and things are just right for the both of us. I'm afraid I have to lea-- wait. Honey? Is that a knife? What are you doing with that? Hold on, now. Calm down, there's no need to-- ack!!!"
Yandere Girlfriend: "You're mine, and mine alone, dear. If I can't have you, THEN NO ONE CAN! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
I hope you guys enjoyed my short bad script, and that my friends, is an example of a yandere. To those who are not so familiar with the anime and manga world, the first reaction they'll have when they discovered a yandere would be like: WHAT THE F*CK!?
It is pretty understandable since most of the time, yandere characters have traumatic backgrounds that leads to some mental disorders, or they just simply have it since the beginning. Bottom line is, they simply had a slightly to totally mental disorders.
Most yandere characters tend to have a very possessive nature, and in this case, the person they love or had a crush on. Normally, regular people might simply had a 'talk' with the other person whom tried to woo their lover. However, yandere characters usually did MORE than just 'talking'. There'll be blood splattered, hearts broken, tears shed... and more blood.
Personally, I'm confused with this type of dere, simply because it's twisted, as simple as that. Still, there are many ladytakus and gentleweebs out there seemed to be 'attracted' to these kind of characters. All we can say is, to each their own, I guess.
Most yandere characters tend to have a very possessive nature, and in this case, the person they love or had a crush on. Normally, regular people might simply had a 'talk' with the other person whom tried to woo their lover. However, yandere characters usually did MORE than just 'talking'. There'll be blood splattered, hearts broken, tears shed... and more blood.
Personally, I'm confused with this type of dere, simply because it's twisted, as simple as that. Still, there are many ladytakus and gentleweebs out there seemed to be 'attracted' to these kind of characters. All we can say is, to each their own, I guess.
3. Kuudere
Is it just me, or is it cold over here? Anyhow, the kuudere is, may not well noticed, but widely used character trope in anime and manga.
Cold and/or harsh on the outside, but sweet and caring on the inside. That is the very definition of a kuudere character. This trope had been used since the olden age of manga and anime. Just like the tsundere, kuudere characters have several default personalities.
Type 1 - The cold (kuu) side as the default. They will appear cold to most other people and became extra cold to their person of interest. A much thicker ice to thaw out to get into their dere side.
Type 2 - The lovey-dovey (dere) side as the default. This type of kuudere is appeared to be open to most other people but only being cold to their love interest, where they show their dere side more frequently than type 1. In other words, they are the thin ice on top of the lake. It's not that hard to get through to their dere side.
Type 3 - Okay, this type of kuudere is strange. It seemed like they have a switch to turn on or off. No, not that kind of turn on. They switch between their kuu and dere side just like that, all the time. Rarely found in anime and manga series. Anyone knows someone else like Inuyasha? No? Same.
Cold and/or harsh on the outside, but sweet and caring on the inside. That is the very definition of a kuudere character. This trope had been used since the olden age of manga and anime. Just like the tsundere, kuudere characters have several default personalities.
Type 1 - The cold (kuu) side as the default. They will appear cold to most other people and became extra cold to their person of interest. A much thicker ice to thaw out to get into their dere side.
Type 2 - The lovey-dovey (dere) side as the default. This type of kuudere is appeared to be open to most other people but only being cold to their love interest, where they show their dere side more frequently than type 1. In other words, they are the thin ice on top of the lake. It's not that hard to get through to their dere side.
Type 3 - Okay, this type of kuudere is strange. It seemed like they have a switch to turn on or off. No, not that kind of turn on. They switch between their kuu and dere side just like that, all the time. Rarely found in anime and manga series. Anyone knows someone else like Inuyasha? No? Same.
4. Deredere
What's more direct than deredere? It's in the name. The staple character trope for main heroines in most anime and manga. Sweet and loving for the protagonist, ALL THE TIME.
DIABEETUS OVERLOAD HNNNNNGGGGG~
But wait! Isn't dandere the same? No. Dandere is loving and sweet as well, but they were shy and softspoken. On the other hand, deredere characters are pretty much very expressive and energetic. Pretty much loud. They are also quick to fall in love or crushing on someone.
They are also well known for their giving and kind nature to others, besides their love interests. In other words, they're the cinnamon roll of the series. And we sure know, nothing beats cinnamon rolls.
Examples of deredere characters are a lot, but well known ones includes Neptune from Hyperdimension Neptunia or Onodera from Nisekoi.
Final Summation
So yeah, these are only SOME of the famous dere's in anime and manga. Of course, there are a lot, and I mean a hell lot, of other dere out there. So much it could cause cancer, only hardcore gentleweebs and ladytakus are immune to this stuff. But that doesn't mean that you have to be one, unless you're on the side where you can't be saved no more.
As you grow into this community, soon, this will be a common knowledge. But for now, I hope you guys learned a little something about dere's and whatnot.
So until next time, keep on reading.
Traps and Sexuality
Greetings ladytakus and gentleweebs, it is I, Kuromi, shall be entertaining you with a mind breaking article under my sleeves for today. Today we're gonna be discussing about a controversial (my ass) topic. Prepare yourself cause' you're about to be bombed by unknown gender bombshells.
~TRAPS AND SEXUALITY~
That's right, we're goin' to talk about some girls with d**** and boys with p******. I really don't know why I write this... I think I'll dedicate this to my Felix (from Re:Zero) loving friend. Thus, the head image. Anyways, let's move on.
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WHAT IS A TRAP?
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| I still can't believe Bridgette's a guy... |
If you're a frequent anime watcher or a manga reader, you're bound to find series with at least one character which you couldn't identify their gender. They seemed so lovely, you even consider making them your waifu, so perfect, ideal and so--- WHAT THE FAKK IS THAT A FRIGGIN' PEN**!?
So basically a trap is a fictional character in a series which looked like either a girl or a boy but actually turns out to be the opposite. This trend of putting in traps in series had been a popular trope on recent series that almost all of the current series had at least ONE trap character.
One of the current most favourite trap is Felix Argyle from Re:Zero - Starting Life in Another World (Jap: ゼロから始める異世界生活). Here HE is:
I know, I'm just spamming my friend's 'best grill'. However, it can't be denied that he is, in fact, the most popular trap in the season.
But no one can make your straight body as confused as how Kinoshita Hideyoshi from Baka to Tesuto to Shōkanjū (Jap: バカとテストと召喚獣) can.
This guy, my fellow ladytakus and gentleweebs, is the very icon of traps. His mere existence causes the existence of a subgender for traps called the 'Hideyoshi gender'. It's not a guy? It's not a girl? Put it under Hideyoshi. That's where he/she belongs.
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| That's a girl. The skirt is completely normal. Sauce is Monthly Girl Nozaki |
Of course, there is also the reverse trap. A reverse trap is when a girl character looked AND behaves like a boy. Much different than a normal tomboy. Most of the time, reverse traps appeared in serious series rather than in a comedy series. This is usually because they want to portray a strong, self-reliant female character.
A good example of this is Kino from Kino's Journey -the Beautiful World- (Jap: キノの旅 -the Beautiful World-).
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| Kino best grill! That's a girl. Trust me. She's a badass, too. |
Kino no Tabi or Kino's Journey is about a young girl, whom appeared as a boy (reverse trap, remember) travel around the world to different countries to learn about their local cultures and histories. She had one rule, never stay for more than three days. Her adventures are full of actions as well which made her look more and more NOT a female, though she actually is. This show is one of my classic favourites, I totally recommend it.
So we can see here that the roles of these traps and reverse traps differs depending on the series and one trope is more dominant in certain genres than the others. Most traps are used as fanservice and often seen in comedy series while reverse traps are often seen in serious series to portray feminine strength.
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~ABOUT THE 'D'...~
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| Oh boii... That subtitle spelling, though... |
So now we know what are traps and reverse traps. Now we're going into the much more serious part (or not, up to you).
If you're into traps, you must have ever wonder "if I like a trap, am I gay?". This question had been playing into many straight trap lovers all around the otaku community. Of course, there had been many justifications for this problem. Some of them sounded like this, "he looks like a girl, that means I'm still into girls, right?". Yes and no. Yes, you're attracted to him since he's girlish in terms of looks. No, you're still liking him despite your awareness his d***. This also applied to the other end of the spectrum. A girl that loves a reverse trap, is it lesbian or nah? Despite knowing the character has some nice -beep-.
This dilemma had been going on for quite some time now, okay, it had been since a LONG time ago. Still, there are still no clear explanations. There are some articles saying how loving traps ain't gay, which I had to admit, had some nice sounding points.
However, the fact that loving them despite being aware of their gender is pretty hard to pass by the 'no homo' bar. If you're a Christian (I'm a Catholic) you'll understand this example, a sin is just a normal sin if you did it without knowing, but if you did it despite knowing it is a sin, then it will become a mortal sin. I hope you get what I mean by this example.
However, of course there are those who are still not neck deep into the trap fandom. They like the trap, they love em', but in reality they still prefer only women. Same applied for the ladytakus as well. Which begs the question whether they are bisexual instead. But the bisexual argument doesn't hold water much as these cases usually are where a gentleweeb doesn't love the trap to the extent of loving them as a romantic affection. When asked, they still prefer women before traps. Thus, pretty clear they are straight, at least for now.
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~FINAL SUMMATION~
In the end, it's all about the individuals. Like my friend whom I dedicate this article to, he's a full on straight weeaboo but still love some of his traps (like Felix). It is up to the gentleweeb to identify their own sexuality. If you love a trap JUST because of his looks and girlish acts, don't worry, you're attracted to the feminine traits, and not the D'. So if anyone accused you of being gay for loving traps, there's no need to counter argue with them. They won't understand your views and preferences. You are you, you go weeb!
So what's your opinion on traps and sexuality? Leave down your thoughts in the comments below or on our Facebook page where I'll share this article.
I hope I didn't offend any ladytakus or gentleweebs with this article. I hold no ill feelings towards the LGBT community or anyone related. This is just an opinion of mine, an article to introduce the weird, enigmatic and beautiful subculture of otaku through traps to the world. If I ever offended anyone with this article, I am truly sorry.
I hope you guys enjoy reading this. I still need to brush up my humour again to make my articles fun to read, but all I had were dirty inuendos. I hope to see you guys again soon. Thanks again for reading, and remember, keep on reading!
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By the way, I've set up a Google+ Community page for you G+ users to join. I'll be posting some polls and stuffs so I can hear your opinions there. Your feedback will be very useful for my upcoming discussion articles such as this one. Hope to see you guys soon!
Otaku Love Life Issues - 2D over 3D? (Valentine's Special)
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| Source: knowyourmeme.com |
All right, listen up weebs. Kuromi's back with a troubling issue that finally plagued even my surroundings (just the otaku side of my reality). Recently, I've been talking to fellow otakus in a local hobby shop about girls. As usual, we start off talking about the figures of female anime characters in the shop, until an unknown weaboo butted in when we say we need a girlfriend soon. He was all like,
"F*** 3D girls! Who needs 'em!?", he shouted. Ladies and gentleweebs... if you're in this level of fanaticism, please read no further for I'm about to rant out about this issue and it might offend your precious preferences. You've clicked away? You didn't? I won't warn you again ok? Fine, let's move on.
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| Source: myanimelist.com |
As Valentine's is coming up, instead of the usual Valentine's Day article, we're gonna talk about something else that is in the scope of otaku romance. So, here's the main question to all you gentleweebs, 2D or 3D? For those who aren't familiar with the otaku lexicon, 2D women or girls refer to drawn out female characters usually from anime, manga or games. Yes, fictional characters. While 3D refers to, well, real women. Like your mother whom you hide under your basement. Who knows. The picture above shows the difference if you still don't get it. The left is 2D while the right is 3D.
This had been an issue in Japan for quite some time now and this also contributes to the birth decline in the country cause most men (otaku men, specifically) are content with their fictional, non-existent wives. Now, the otaku culture had spread throughout the world because now there's a magical and miraculous thing called INTERNET. Now this problem arise in countries outside Japan as well. Thus, the Ultimate Weeb fella that butted in the conversation between me and my friend just now.
However, we must not be so one-sided in this matter. Is it really just the otaku men's fault or the anime industry's fault that cause these such problems? There are actually more factors that cause men's preference to something of fantasy instead of reality, even non-otaku men.
One of the other factors are the most obvious thing lies at the other end of the preferences spectrum. Yes, that's right. Real, 3D girls and women also contributes to the rise of this issue.
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| Source: fuckyeahanimereactions.tumblr.com |
Now now, girls. We don't mean ALL of you are the problem, since there are female weebs reading this and also had the same problem. Some of you are pretty tolerant and accepting, too. To us, you guys... I mean, girls, are the best! :3 (Forgive the cat emoji).
Due to today's materialism age, most women, like men, are pretty materialistic. When choosing a partner, they want a rational, non-'childlike' and high earning man instead of a man with an obsessive hobby. Specifically, otakus. This also applied to non-otaku man choosing their partner.
Men or women with an obsessive hobbies are usually shunned by the society, much worse if they're uneducated, untrained and/or unemployed (a.k.a. NEET). Of course, there's a logic in there if they're not working, I mean, how can they support their partner in terms of finance? That said, where did they get their money from to buy their hentai doujins and Bluray DVDs? I digress.
The problem lies when the said otaku (or weeb, whichever you call yourself) had a stable income and capable of raising a family. If they're not blessed with good looks, they're bound to be alone forever. However, even ikemens (hotties) couldn't get a life partner. Just because of their otaku hobbies, they are shunned and avoided.
Ask any otaku/weeb that prefer 2D over 3D, they will all have histories with real women. Or man, whatever, I think I'll just say women cause majority of this sad community consist of men anyway. Back to topic. It was these histories that cause a shift in their preference due to trauma.
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| Source: funnyjunk.com |
How about we stop pointing fingers on anyone and look into the otaku (or weeaboo) community itself. Most of the time it stems from peer pressure from fellow otakus. Usually showing an interest in real women can cause the said person being shunned by fellow otaku brethrens.
Not to mention there are also the case of detachment from reality itself. Some otakus just couldn't differentiate reality from fantasy and vice versa. I mean, if a non-otaku can have this problem, why not the otakus? This pose a great problem because it's not just contributing a bad image to the otaku community, but they are also the root of the peer pressure issue said before. So it might be a psychological problem or so. Sometimes it just can't be helped, but it does contributes to the 2D over 3D preference problem.
Again, it may due the trauma that they had experienced in the past with real women which cause them to prefer 2D, however, it then became a habit or second nature to them. From habit, came the said problems.
In the end, it all comes down to individuals. Some prefer only 3D, which normies usually are.. They can't have any affections towards fictional characters. Pretty weird, right? Then there are those who can only look upon 2D and discarded reality, which most of you gentleweebs probably still reading this. However, most of the time there were those who are into a little bit of both. Who still has common sense that you can't reproduce with fictional characters no matter what you do, no, not even your precious VR set can.
We can only pray and hope for those who have succumbed to 'only 2D' realm to find the light and return to our sane world to prevent the declining birth rate which happens ALL AROUND THE WORLD.
It may not much, but if we can change for the better by opening up to each other, this may not be a problem at all. Of course, with boundaries, mind you. So we can all enjoy this Valentine's Day not just with Azunyan or Suzu above, but with a real, living, significant other.
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Well I talked too much, probably since it's been forever since I last wrote in this blog (explains my shitty writing, sorry). I've been caught up with many art commissions and web app development jobs. If you guys interested in my arts, check out my Tumblr or support me on Patreon.
If any of you gentleweebs offended or anything from this article, I'm truly sorry and you're welcome. This is just a personal rant and nothing more. I hope you guys enjoy a good read (I know it's bad, sigh), hope to see you guys again soon. As always, keep on reading!
